Movie listening exercises

Man: So you went to see it? What did you make of it1?
Woman: I wasnt sure at first, but in the end I really liked it.
Man: Ive been thinking about going to see it, but some people say its overhyped2.
Woman: No, its worth seeing. I just think a lot of people find the story a bit too convoluted3.
Man: So what, is it hard to follow?
Woman: No, not really, there are just a lot of twists and turns4. I thought it was really interesting, and really well-acted as well.
Man: Whos in it?
Woman: Jim Rodgers, Katherine Lamb, and a few other people.
Man: I dont like Jim Rodgers. He always plays the same character, and hes so wooden5.
Woman: I quite like him
Man: Yeah, I wonder why. Must be his acting ability!
Woman: Oh, shut up! Anyway, definitely go see it.
Man: Is it still on6?
Woman: Oh, I dont know, have a look online.

The vocabulary in these notes will give you many of the answers for exercises 1 and 2. You may prefer to try those exercises first, then come back to this section if you need to.

1. What did you make of it? = What did you think of it?
2. Overhyped = people have said a lot of good things about something, but it isnt as good as everyone says.
3. Convoluted = Too complicated and confusing
4. Twists and turns = when something unexpected happens in a story, or a story changes direction suddenly.
5. Wooden = emotionless
6. Is it still on? = Are they still showing it?

This dialogue contains a lot of common words which many learners find confusing because they mean different things in different contexts or the meaning changes when theyre used in certain combinations.

For each question, choose the sentence that you hear in the recording. Read the note about the meaning before you make your decision!

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1. Question 1 of 5
   1. Question

   1. Which expression, meaning whats your opinion?, is used in the recording?

   • What did you make of it?
   • What did you think of it?
   • What did you decide of it?
   Hint

   One option is incorrect because the verb and the preposition of do not go together; another option is correct English but not used in the recording.

2. Question 2 of 5
   2. Question

   2. Which option, used in the dialogue, refers to the start and end of a process, particularly when someones opinion changes in the middle?

   • I wasnt sure at first, but in the end I really liked it.
   • I wasnt sure at start, but at the end I really liked it.
   • I wasnt sure at beginning, but finally I really liked it.
   Hint

   Only the correct answer is grammatically correct this time.

3. Question 3 of 5
   3. Question

   3. Which option does the woman say in the recording, meaning its a good idea to see it?

   • Its worth seeing.
   • Its worth see.
   • Its worth seen.
   Hint

   This is a question of grammar only the verb form used by the woman is correct.

4. Question 4 of 5
   4. Question

   4. Which option, referring to understanding the story of a film, is used in the dialogue?

   • Is it hard to follow?
   • Is it difficult to follow?
   • Is it easy to follow?
   Hint

   All three questions are grammatically correct, so which one do you hear?

5. Question 5 of 5
   5. Question

   5. To ask which actors star in a film, which question is correct and used in the recording?

   • Whos in it?
   • Whos on it?
   • Whos at it?
   Hint

   Only the version used in the dialogue is grammatically correct.

The dialogue contains adjectives that you can use to describe a film in general, the plot [= the storyline], the actors, and what other people think.

Read a review of the film, which the woman wrote after speaking to her friend in this dialogue. Write one word from the box in each gap.

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1. Question 1 of 1
   1. Question
   advertised complicated convoluted emotionless in on overhyped
   well-acted well-performed wooden

   Some of the words in the box do not appear in the recording, but mean similar things. You should use the same adjectives that the woman says.

   • Many people feel this film is , but I definitely recommend that you see it. Although the plots quite at times, the twists and turns add to the excitement. Its a story the stars really bring it to life and I disagree with anyone who says that the lead, Jim Rodgers, is ! I think he puts a lot of emotion into it. Go and see it while you can I think its until the end of the month.

In informal contexts, such as this conversation between two friends, it is possible to leave out words that would be necessary or expected if you wrote or said the same thing in a formal situation. The concept of missing out words from the grammar is called ellipsis.

Look at the full-form equivalents of sentences that are used in the dialogue, and tick all the words that are missed out by the speakers.

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1. Question 1 of 4
   1. Question

   1. So you went to see it, did you?

   In the dialogue, the man says an affirmative statement, but makes it a question with rising intonation. In more formal contexts, this would be possible with a question tag, as shown.

   Which words does the man not say?

   • so
   • you
   • went
   • to
   • see
   • it
   • did
   • you
2. Question 2 of 4
   2. Question

   2. So what do you mean is it hard to follow?

   Which words does the man leave out?

   • so
   • what
   • do
   • you
   • mean
   • is
   • it
   • hard
   • to
   • follow
3. Question 3 of 4
   3. Question

   3. It must be his acting ability!

   Which word does the man leave out?

   • it
   • must
   • be
   • his
   • acting
   • ability
4. Question 4 of 4
   4. Question

   4. Anyway, you should definitely go and see it.

   This question is worth two points, because there are two places where ellipsis occurs. Which words does the woman leave out?

   • anyway
   • you should
   • definitely
   • go
   • and
   • see it

How do you say the word it? Do you always pronounce it the same way? The speakers in this dialogue dont! Like any word ending with the sound /t/, if the next word starts with a consonant, most speakers wont pronounce the /t/. Dropping sounds is called elision, and it can even happen when a vowel is after the /t/, or when /t/ comes before a pause.

However, its not a rule that you have to drop /t/ in any situation some speakers dont if they are making an effort to speak clearly. Listen to five examples of the word it from the dialogue and decide if the speaker pronounces /t/ or not.

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1. Question 1 of 5
   1. Question
   //www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Films-elision-1-I-really-liked-it.mp3

   
   1. The woman says it in this sentence. Is the /t/ pronounced?

   • Yes
   • No
   Hint

   Compare the words wasnt, at and first; the woman pronounces /t/ in at and first but not in wasnt so, can you hear the /t/ in it?

2. Question 2 of 5
   2. Question
   //www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Films-elision-2-is-it-hard-to-follow.mp3

   
   2. Does the man pronounce the /t/ in the word it?

   • Yes
   • No
   Hint

   To make a /t/ sound, the tongue touches the ridge just behind your top teeth, then moves away with a sudden explosion of air. Sometimes you might think you hear something, but it is likely to be a glottal stop where the air is blocked at the back of the throat, briefly. If you cannot hear the mini-explosion of air, there is no /t/ sound.

3. Question 3 of 5
   3. Question
   //www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Films-elision-3-I-thought-it-was.mp3

   
   3. The woman says it in this sentence. Is the /t/ pronounced?

   • Yes
   • No
4. Question 4 of 5
   4. Question
   //www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Films-elision-4-is-it-still-on.mp3

   
   4. Does the man pronounce /t/ in it?

   • Yes
   • No
5. Question 5 of 5
   5. Question
   //www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Films-elision-5-x2.mp3

   
   5. The man says the word it twice. When is /t/ pronounced?

   • The /t/ is pronounced very softly the first time; it is not pronounced the second time.
   • He pronounces the /t/ both times.
   • He does not pronounce the /t/ either time.